Ischemic Heart Disease            I went to Vietnam in July of 1968. I knew about Agent Orange and what its purpose was, just not the long term effects. I was 20 years old, what did I know? I stayed in the Army until 1975.           In January of 1992, I had a heart attack, just before my 44th birthday. Too young, right? I applied for compensation and was turned down.            In 2008, I read on the Internet on the Nehmer Report and the class action lawsuit he was working on. I went to the VA Medical Center in Biloxi, Ms. and reapplied. After two years of jumping through hoops, I was turned down for my claim. Over and done, I thought.  In 2010, I retired, applied for Social Security and moved back to my home town. Wasn't drawing a lot, just enough to live on actually. In January of 2011, I got a call from the VA Center in Muskogee, OK. The purpose of the call was to inform me that my claim was being reopened for further review. Here we go again, right?  After several phone calls from Muskogee I was informed that my claim had been approved. In June of 2011, I started receiving my award at 30% disability, and also received 20 years back pay in a lump sum. Life is good at this point. I am very pleased with the outcome of this decision. [ Back ] [ Tell Your Compensation Story ]